


What Goes Around, Comes Around

by Creativitydeficient



Series: What Goes Around, Comes Around [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Emilie is not what she seems theory, F/M, Unhealthy Relationships, slight suicidal thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25776382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creativitydeficient/pseuds/Creativitydeficient
Summary: Everything has a price, and what you dish out, often comes back to you in the end.Unfortunately, Gabriel has to learn this the hard way.
Relationships: Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, Slight adrinette - Relationship
Series: What Goes Around, Comes Around [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869970
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	What Goes Around, Comes Around

The way Gabriel saw it, he either had two options-

He could live in a world where his son hated him and his wife was doomed to remain stuck in a comatose state forever, OR he could fix everything using the miraculouses, but live with the guilt of defying one of the very things he stood for by breaking the trust of one of the only people left who cared about him.

And if you asked him, _neither_ were very good choices.

It all started that very morning, or, well, it _really_ began a few months prior.

With one failed attempt after another, Gabriel felt like he was starting to run out of options, and after failing at getting his hands on any other means that could’ve potentially resulted in his victory, he turned to a last resort: fusing together the butterfly and peacock miraculouses.

He was so sure that by combining the powers of the peacock and butterfly together, something he has seen the heroes do with their miraculouses several times before, he would get closer than he’s ever been to claiming victory and finally be able to make his wish come true.

But instead, it seemed as if he was only getting further away.

Perhaps he severely underestimated the two heroes. He was confident that after Ladybug had become the guardian, she would struggle between doing that and keeping up with her hero duties, and it seemed to have started out that way at first, Ladybug relying on allies more and more often, struggling to find them as Hawkmoth already knew the identities of quite a few.

He also took notice of how much she was cracking under the pressure. Between her hero life, her role as guardian, and what he could assume was school and her civilian life, he knew it would be any day now before she broke and finally gave up.

And without her, her little _kitten_ was nothing either.

But, much to his dismay, they somehow always found a way to claim victory in the end, and the more the young heroine started to accept her new role, the more challenging of an opponent she came to be.

* * *

_Everything was blurry. His head was pounding, arms and knees heavy. He felt like he could pass out at any moment. Even still, he pushed forward, knowing he had to do so if he wanted any chance at getting Emilie back._

_But now, as he made his way out of his secret hide out after facing yet another defeat as Shadowmoth that day and collapsed onto the ground, he was unsure how much more he could take._

_Nathalie, who was already present in the room organizing some files, immediately stopped what she was doing to rush over to him._

_“Sir!” She exclaimed, worry clearly evident on her face. “Are you alright?”_

_Oh how the tables have turned._

_  
It was more than alright however, he would much rather it be him than her._

_“Yes.” He nodded weakly, staring at the ground._

_“I’m fine”_

_  
But he wasn’t fine. He wasn’t fine at all._

_He was exhausted, both physically and mentally._

_  
He had been warned by Nooroo the first time he had brought the two miraculouses together that doing so could have dire consequences, but he didn’t listen._

_The warning was brought up again soon after using the miraculous for the fifth time, but despite how exhausted and drained of energy he felt, he still refused to listen._

_If this is what it took to get her back, then so be it._

_But now, almost a month later, there he was, in Nathalie’s arms, all the uses of the miraculouses fully caught up to him._

_“You’re not fine, Gabriel.” The woman spoke sternly, expression unchanging._

_He wanted to tell her that she was mistaken, that nothing was wrong, but he knew it was no use, she could always see right through him._

_And quite frankly, he didn’t even think he had the energy to argue._

_He was so defeated. So tired._

_He stared at her for a couple of seconds, before finally breaking down and dry sobbing._

_He didn’t know if it was from exhaustion or because he was just so broken inside, but no tears came out._

_Just heavy, shaky sighs._

_Nathalie held the man in her arms, saying nothing._

_She didn’t have to._

_Her presence was comforting enough, and she knew to let him grieve._

_And just like that, they stayed._

* * *

  
It has been months since then, but Gabriel felt like it was only yesterday.

It was the day he decided to give up.

Or, at least it might as well been. 

He had taken a few days off to rest up and get better, Nathalie refusing to leave his side no matter how much he told her she didn’t have to do this.

Adrien took notice of his father’s condition as well, and grew concerned too.

Gabriel insisted that he was fine, and that he was just a bit sick, but he knew Adrien wasn’t having it.

He felt bad keeping all of this from the boy, but he truly didn’t know what else to say. 

After that, you would think that he would just jump right back into akumatizing people, but the exhaustion he felt wasn’t just a result of the miraculouses, it was a combination of everything. There was just no use in going on anymore if every chance he got ended in failure. He just didn’t have it in him anymore.

But he didn’t want to just give up either, he _couldn’t_. He swore to himself he’d get her back, what kind of a husband would he be if he broke that promise? 

He tried every now and then releasing an akuma, just to see if by, some miracle or sheer luck, he would succeed, but they all ended the same way every time. 

Soon, he found he was out of commission for so long that Ladybug was no longer in Paris, she had traveled to the Tibetan mountains to retrieve some of the lost kwamis.

Was he really so much of a failure that even the heroes didn’t see him as a threat anymore??

But it wasn’t all in vain.

The first month or so felt absolutely miserable, yes, but as the months went by, his temporary retirement seemed to not have only made everyone else move on, but himself as well.

It was a slow process, but now that he wasn’t biding all of his time trying to get Emilie back, he found he was able to focus on more important things, like his son for instance.

Sure, things were still a bit awkward between them, after all, it wasn’t necessarily that Gabriel didn’t _want_ to be there for his son, he just didn’t know _how_. It was one of the many reasons he felt the boy needed his mother, he would always rely on her judgement when it came to taking care of him.

But as much as he loved his wife, he quickly realized that, perhaps, her judgement wasn’t _always_ the best. 

He had once believed it was, because, like her, he too wanted to protect him, the desire to do so implementing even further after her disappearance, as he just _couldn’t_ lose someone else he cared about, nevermind his own _son_ . It had taken Nathalie pointing it out however for him to _finally_ realize that maybe he had taken it too far sometimes, and that what Adrien _really_ needed was a life outside of the mansion. Gabriel had only ever wanted what was best for his son, just never knew what that was.

Even still, he wasn’t blind. He noticed how much happier Adrien was with his mother, even back then. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he would be way happier with her than he _ever_ could be with him. 

Gabriel knew he wasn’t a good father, and didn’t believe he ever could be, no matter how much he wanted to.

He was cold, distant, stern, and worst of all, had put his own son in danger multiple times, but was always so blinded by his end goals that no matter how guilty he felt or how wrong he knew it was, he always kept going.

How could he ever have a normal relationship with his son after knowing all of the things he has done?

He didn’t deserve to call himself a father.

And so, he sought out to do the one good thing he felt he could do, give him his mother back, but when he couldn’t even do that, he felt like more of a failure than he’s ever been.

If he couldn’t give him his mother back, what _could_ he do for him?

Lately however, he’s noticed slight changes. Sure, they weren’t quite there yet, and his job and Adrien’s schedule still got in the way most of the time, but it was the little things, like eating together and listening to his son excitedly ramble about his school day that made Gabriel feel that perhaps, there was a bit a of hope after all.

  
And then, there was Nathalie, someone else Gabriel has always felt like he didn’t deserve.

After all, she always gave so much to him, and all he gave in return was hurt. 

He knew that she was okay with it, that she _wante_ d to help him, but that still didn’t make it right.

Even still, he’s always found her much easier to talk to than his son.

He wasn’t sure why, perhaps it was because the two of them have known each other for so long, and understood each other on a personal level.

Or maybe it was because of something else.

Either way, she was his rock. The shoulder he lent on, always there when she needed him. 

And he felt guilty, guilty knowing what she went through for him.

She never left his side. Her loyalty and dedication to the people she cared about was one of the things he admired most about her, and frankly, he didn’t know what on earth he did to deserve to be one of those people, but every time her soft eyes locked into his and her gentle voice reassured him that she would always be there for him, he knew everything was going to be okay.

After the whole Shadowmoth incident, she was there for him more than ever. 

The two of them would stay up all night, just talking and confiding in each other, and enjoying each other’s company. She often encouraged him to do things outside of his comfort zone a bit more, like taking daily strolls outside, or making more public appearances. 

She helped him focus on other things outside of Emilie, and _never_ got frustrated or angry with him when his mind wandered back to her.

And, as time went by, he strangely felt himself becoming...happier?

It felt weird to say, as he couldn’t even remember the last time he felt this way, and he felt awful saying that without Emilie there to share it with him, but….

Perhaps…it was time for him to finally move on.  
  


* * *

  
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Nathalie asked as she entered the room. 

She was doing some work in her office when she was called in there over the phone by him.

He had said that he had something very important to discuss with her.

Upon entering the foyer, she noticed he had his back turned, as he stared up at the portrait of his wife, something he hasn’t done in quite some time.

Even still, upon hearing her voice, he turned around, giving off a small, amused smile.

“ _Please_ Nathalie.” He smiled softly as she walked towards him. “I’ve already told you we’re _way_ past formalities at this point, you don’t have to keep addressing me that way.”

She smiled back, in slight embarrassment.

“Sorry, I suppose it’s just a force of habit.” She apologized. “What do you need, Gabriel?”

Gabriel’s smile quickly turned into a more serious expression, as he stared back up at the portrait hanging over him, and after a couple of seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

“I’ve been...thinking.”

“About?”

His eyes shifted towards the ground.

“These past couple of months have made me reevaluate...a lot of things. Including the choices I’ve been making.”

Nathalie blinked a couple of times in confusion.

“Gabriel…” She began cautiously. “What are you saying?”

He didn’t say anything, and instead continued to stare down at the ground, breath becoming a bit shaky.

“Gabriel-“ the woman began again, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to me.”

She could tell this was hard for him.

He tightly shut his eyes, as if trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill out, and with a deep breath, finally spoke.

“I think…” he began. “I think it’s time for us to put Emilie to rest.”

Nathalie’s eyes widened in surprise. She had noticed how Gabriel had seemed to have been gradually moving on from his comatose wife and focusing more and more on other things, but she never thought the day where he fully gave up would ever come. After all, he tried once before, after realizing how his stunts kept putting Adrien in danger, but was unfortunately unable to due to missing her too much.

Because of that, part of her didn’t want to believe it, because as much as she loved the man, she knew he had a...track record with certain things.

It was also one of the reasons she wanted to help him so much. 

She couldn’t stand seeing him stressing himself out every day trying to get Emilie back, and if she couldn’t convince him to stop, perhaps she could help him get to his goal a bit faster.

But, if these past few months have told her anything, it was that nothing was impossible.

“Are you sure that’s what you really want, Gabriel?” She questioned, wanting to make sure before she got her hopes up.

He nodded. “For the most part, yes. I’ve thought about this long and hard, and I think I’m ready to make that decision.”

  
She smiled.

  
“Then I’ll support you. Every step of the way.” She spoke gently, eye’s glistening up at his.

He gave a gentle smile in return, placing a hand onto her shoulder. “Thank you. Nathalie.”

His face then grew more worrisome, as if there was something else he had to get off his mind.

“Before that however…” he began, eyes drifting off. “I just want to try one more time.”

He turned back to the portrait.

“I have come up with a plan that I think _just_ might work, but it could be risky…”

He turned back towards her.

“And I’m going to need your help with it.” He finished, before adding on: “If it’s okay with you, that is.”

“Of course it is.” She assured him, giving another gentle smile. 

He nodded, and then headed over to the computer monitor, where he beckoned her over.

Once they were both there, he pulled up a couple of images from the grimoire onto his screen.

The images displayed showed two figures, each with a miraculous, and a spell. After the spell was recited, standing in the place of the two figures was one, larger figure.

Nathalie studied the pictures for a moment, trying to figure out what they meant. Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him.

“I’ve been studying a couple of spells from the grimoire lately, more so than usual-” he began. “And based on what I was able to gather, I believe I’ve found some way to alter the spell that allows the miraculouses to be merged together.”

Nathalie cocked an eyebrow. “Alter it?” She questioned.

Gabriel nodded.

“In theory, if I’ve gotten this right, it should result in a spell that allows two miraculous holders to merge their physical forms together, becoming a stronger, more powerful being.” He finished, pointing back over at the drawings.

“So instead of fusing the miraculouses only, we’d also be fusing...ourselves?” She had to make sure she understood. 

Gabriel gave a small hum of affirmation. “That’s the idea.” He said.

He then turned over to her once again, expression sincere. 

“I can’t do this without you, my dear Nathalie.” He spoke, grabbing her hands. “Having your support, both physically and emotionally, is what keeps me going. I thought that combining the miraculouses would be enough to stand in for the both of us, so that I still had enough power while you got your rest, a win-win situation-” he paused, letting go of her hands.

  
  
“But I was wrong. It was too much to handle.”

  
  
“I have reasons to believe that if we combine our physical forms together, the miraculouses will be much easier to handle, on both of us, and will transform us into a much more powerful, stronger being-”

He took a breath.

“But I don’t know the risks.” He spoke sadly. “I swore to myself I’d never hurt you again after what you went through for me as Mayura, and if something _does_ end up going wrong and something happens to you-” he sucked in another breath. “Well I don’t know what I’d do with myself.”

It didn’t take Nathalie very long to come to a decision.

“I’ll do it.” She spoke firmly. Gabriel looked surprised.

“Huh- _what_??” His eyes widened. 

She repeated her words again. “I’ll do it. I’ll fuse with you.”

Gabriel’s face fell. “This isn’t like the peacock miraculous Nathalie, at least then we knew the risks….” he paused, looking back at the screen. “We have no idea what we’re messing with here.”

Nathalie walked closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But how do we know if we don’t _try_ ?” She inquired. “For all we know, this could be the plan that _finally_ results in your success.” 

Gabriel shook his head. “But I don’t _want_ that success if you’re not there to share it with me.” 

He began to regret even asking her in the first place. Did he think she would say no or something?

“I shouldn’t have even asked you to do this with me in the first place, I don’t know what I was thinking, I _can’t_ have you getting hurt under my watch.”

_Silence._

“What about you?” Nathalie asked, her words snapping him out of his thoughts, as he looked up at her in confusion. 

“What _about_ me?” He asked. 

“If we do this-“ Nathalie began. “You run the risk of something happening to you _just_ as much as I do.”

His face became solemn once again, as he attempted to focus his gaze on anything but her.

“Would that _really_ be so much of a bad thing, Nathalie?”

Nathalie’s eyes saddened. _This poor man._ She thought. He was so broken inside.

“Of course it would be, Gabriel. Think about how Adrien and Emilie would feel. Think about how _I_ would feel.” She spoke sadly. “Your well-being matters too.”

With a gentle hand, turned his face towards her, depleted dull blue eyes staring up at bright blue ones.

“Nathalie-” he began “please don’t feel like you’re obligated to do this, I don’t-” 

“I’m not.” Nathalie spoke. “I _want_ to help you Gabriel, we’re both in this _together_.” 

He smiled, calming himself down. “Alright then.” He stood up. “Let’s get started.”  
  


* * *

The sounds of screams and chaos rang throughout the streets of Paris. 

After many months of silence, Hawkmoth and Mayura had finally made their comeback.

And somehow, they’ve managed to become stronger than _ever_.

Ladybug couldn’t understand it.

These….things, they weren’t normal akumas or sentimonsters. It was almost like they were...fused together, the akumatized victim and their sentimonster joined together as one.

Senti-akumas, if you will. 

But how on earth was that possible? 

Ever since becoming the guardian, she had studied the grimoire over and over again, deciphering its texts, spells, and more, and the closest thing she had ever found to fusion was the ability to fuse two, or more, miraculouses together, but even still, that shouldn’t have resulted in, well, _this!_ The fused miraculouses allowed the wearer to use multiple powers at once, but never allowed them to combine them together.

She began to ponder. Could it have been an akuma that gave them the power? After all, it didn’t take her long to figure out that their stunt on heroes’ day was due to an akuma.

Or perhaps, she laughed to herself, they had found some way to alter one of the spells.

But that wasn’t possible.

_Right??_

It didn’t matter now. There was no time to wonder how they managed to do it. She and Cat Noir had to protect Paris in any way they could, she could figure this all out later.

“Ladybug!” Cat Noir exclaimed, pointing his staff over to the area behind the girl. “Watch out!” 

“Huh??” 

Ladybug was so lost in thought that she hadn’t even noticed the senti-akuma ready to pounce on her. She quickly swung around, releasing her yoyo as she did, and hit it in the face, sending it flying. Cat noir was busy swinging his own weapon around, knocking away any senti-akuma that threatened to attack either of them as well.

“Ugh!” He exclaimed in frustration.

“Hawkmoth and Mayura just COULDN’T have gone easy on us after coming back from their little vacation, could they??”

Ladybug shook her head. “It all makes sense.” She exclaimed. “They must’ve been planning this for _months_. There’s no WAY a scheme like this could be thought of in one day!”

  
Meanwhile, at the top of the Eiffel Tower, stood a figure, the puppet-master behind this whole operation, if you will, lurking in the shadows. 

They smirked, laughing a low, dark laugh.

_It was time._

“It’s all going according to plan.” The figure spoke. “Soon the heroes will be worn out, and we can finally claim what’s ours!” They exclaimed, victoriously clenching their first. 

“I think it’s time we made our introduction.”

* * *

  
Meanwhile, the heroes were having no luck.

  
Their army was down, all having been turned into senti-akumas. It was just them now, and they were starting to get tired. Not to mention, the senti-akumas just kept coming and coming, it was like they never stopped! 

Cat Noir glanced behind them, and saw an opening leading into an alleyway. As soon as he saw a chance, he grabbed Ladybug's arm, prompting out a “HEY!” from the young heroine, as he made a dash for it, quickly disappearing into the darkness . 

Both heroes took a second to catch their breath, glancing around the corner to see if anyone had followed them. 

Once they were sure they were safe, Ladybug began to cry. 

“I don’t know what to do!!” She cried out. “I thought being the guardian would make me a _better_ miraculous holder, but it’s only made me worse!” She covered her face in her hands.

Cat Noir went over to comfort the crying girl, concern expressed clearly on his face.

“Hey, don’t say that! You couldn’t have known any of this would happen! Besides, we will win in the end, we always do!” But as convincing as he tried to sound, even he wasn’t too sure.

Ladybug grew angry.

“Look around you Cat!” She yelled. “This isn’t like anything we’ve ever fought before! My lucky charm didn’t work, all of our friends have been affected, and we can’t even make our way to the source of the terror because we don’t even know where they are!” She pulled at her pigtails in frustration.

But then, as if right on cue, a bellowing, unfamiliarly familiar voice rang out through the air.

“LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR!” They spoke. “YOUR DAYS HAVE BEEN OUTNUMBERED! COME OUT FROM HIDING AND FACE US LIKE THE HEROES THESE POOR CITIZENS CLAIM YOU ARE!” 

With one glance towards each other and a quick nod, the heroes came out from their hiding place, geared up and ready to fight whatever senti-akumas came at them, and whoever this mysterious voice was.

But nothing came at them.

Everything around them was frozen, almost as if time was stopped. 

The only other thing that was truly present was a mysterious figure standing at the Eiffel Tower, one that Ladybug could only _assume_ was using the peacock and butterfly miraculouses from the looks of it, but they didn’t look like either Hawkmoth OR Mayura 

They were tall, _VERY_ tall, at least a good 10 feet, with a slender figure accompanied with slightly broad shoulders and hips. They had periwinkle skin, and short blue hair that stuck out from atop their helmet. 

They wore a long blue dress, with a turtleneck and fur wrist cuffs, and a long jacket with a wide collar over it.

What stood out the most however, were their eyes. 

They were similar to Mayura’s, purple scaleras with pink irises, but they were a lot more….icey. 

They were cold, almost lifeless, and had a strange sort of...glow to them.

And neither hero could figure out who they were.

“Who are you?!” Ladybug yelled up at them, pointing her yoyo towards them while Cat followed suit with his staff. 

The figure laughed, cold and darkly, voice feminine, yet deep and smooth.

“You mean you _really_ don’t recognize us!” They mocked. “What a shame, it seems we have been out of commission for far too long.””

Chat’s eyes widened as he started to piece together who the person was, but….

No, it wasn’t possible!

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed, as she tried to solve the mystery of who the towering terror at the top of the tower was, but she couldn’t for the life of her. She had remembered Bunnix telling her that there was a new Hawkmoth in the future, perhaps this was them?? It was the only logical explanation she could think of.

Even still, she didn’t have time to wait around! No matter who this stranger was, they were hurting innocent citizens, and they MUST be stopped!!

Clutching onto her yoyo, she started marching towards the tower. If they wanted a fight, they would get one!

However, she was stopped dead in her tracks by Cat Noir, who pulled her back towards him.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, my lady!” He glanced around, voice laced with worry. She stared at him in confusion.

“I know we don’t have much of a plan, Cat.” She sighed. “But what more can we do? If we want any chance of stopping whoever this person is, we have to go straight to the source.” She pointed up at the figure, who was smirking darkly and waiting patiently, hands resting on top of the large battle axe they held. 

“I mean, they’re worse than Hawkmoth and Mayura!”

Cat shook his head.

“Ladybug-” he started out slowly. “I think that IS Hawkmoth and Mayura!” He exclaimed.

“Huh??” Ladybug asked, turning around to face the figure again. Upon doing so, she immediately gasped. 

Of course! How could she have not seen it before??

It was no wonder they looked so familiar, she had just thought it was simply the qualities of the peacock and butterfly miraculouses that felt similar to what she has seen before, but it turns out it was much more than that.

Somehow, some _way_ , the two villains had not only managed to fuse their miraculouses together, but their physical forms too, making both themselves and their akumas/sentimonsters even stronger.

And Ladybug had NO idea how to deal with them.

“So.” The fusion began again. “You finally figured out who I am, hm?’ 

They turned around, now facing the tower rather than the heroes.

“Did you know they could do that?!” Cat turned to Ladybug, frantically pointing up at the tall figure.

She slowly shook her head, mouth agape.

  
“I suppose I should introduce myself then.” 

  
They glared over their shoulder. 

  
“I am Aglais.” They exclaimed proudly, eyes aglow. “Hawkmoth and Mayura unfortunately couldn’t be here today, so I will be here to take their place.” 

They swung their axe around, turning to face the heroes once again. 

“A little change every now and then never hurts, does it?”

Both heroes growled, raising their weapons up at the villain. 

“You won’t get the better of us, Aglais!” She yelled up with fury, swinging her yoyo around. 

“Yeah!” Chat followed. “You may have found some kind of weird, dark spell that allows you guys to merge together, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to knock us down!”

With a battle cry, both heroes charged up at Aglais, who only stood there, as patient as ever. Once she noticed how close to the power they were, he snapped his fingers, and with an outstretched hand, cried out “SENTI-ALUMAS, ATTACK!”

All at once, time unfroze, and the senti-akumas that we’re once stuck in place gained back their consciousness, charging at the two heroes like a bunch of bees swarming a hive of honey.

With a gasp, the two heroes made their retreat, dashing up the Eiffel Tower as quickly as they could in order to avoid the beasts that chased after them, but they could only avoid so many.

After being knocked down by one of them, the heroes, now weaker than ever, struggled to stand up.

“Urghh…” Cat Noir groaned, looking up at the army closing in on them, he turned over to Ladybug, who was knocked out cold. Expression panicked, he quickly rushed over to her.

“Ladybug!” He shook her. “Ladybug, wake up!!”

The girl groaned, turning over, but didn’t get up. 

“Ladybug, there’s an army about to attack us, and unless we want to be done for, we need to get out of here!”

Ladybug, slowly opening her eyes, blinking a couple of times to adjust her vision to her surroundings. Immediately, she noticed Cat Noir’s panicked face, followed by the monsters that surrounded them all. 

Thinking quickly, she took out her yoyo, and grabbing Cat Noir by the waist, swung it up to the highest point of the tower, where Aglais stood, and flew up above all the growing army as they attempted to follow them to their destination.

Upon arriving at the top however, they were surprised to see that neither Aglais, NOR Hawkmoth and Mayura, were present.

“They must’ve escaped!” Cat exclaimed, pointing over to the opening space behind the

_Urghhh_ _, no no no_! Ladybug thought in frustration. Where could they have gone?!

“Well then, there’s no time to lose!” She stood proudly. “We need to find them as quickly as we can!”

Grabbing her partner’s hand, she swung off the tower and into the open, flying from building to building as stealthily as they could in order to avoid being seen by any of the senti-akumas 

Meanwhile, Hawkmoth and Mayura, now unfused, stood in the very same alleyway the heroes hid in before, this time hidden from _them_.

They peered around the corner, watching as the young duo frantically searched for them, before hiding from view once more as they passed by. 

“It’s all going according to plan, my dear Mayura.” He laughed darkly, turning to her. “We should’ve tried this fusion thing a LONG time ago.”

The woman smiled, eyes equally as dark. “Agreed, Hawkmoth.” She spoke. “And now, with their spirits crushed and their forms weakened, there is nothing they can do to stop us!”

Hawkmoth made a small noise of agreement, while glancing up at the frantic heroes once more.

  
“I think it’s about time we enter the second part of our plan.”

* * *

The heroes stopped to catch their breath for a few moments.

They were just nearly ready to give up, but they knew they couldn’t. If they did, and they really did lose, what kinds of heroes would they be??

What would Paris think of them??

Just when they thought all hope was lost, they heard a thud behind them. Turning around, they came face to face with Hawkmoth himself, no longer part of a fusion.

You would think one would be _relieved_ by this, as after all, unlike Aglais, they were much more familiar with him.

But they were unfortunately so worn out that they felt as if even a measly _kitten_ could knock them down.

Despite that, they stood their ground, swinging their weapons around as the proud man walked towards them.

“Don’t come any closer Hawkmoth!” Ladybug warned, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she continued to swing her weapon. It was quite obvious that she was struggling, and the way Hawkmoth saw it, he could _easily_ take their miraculouses right there, right then.

Even still, he decided to have a bit of _fun_ first. 

Stopping dead in his tracks, he shook his head, amused smile on his face. “Don’t worry.” He smirked. “I’m only here to _congratulate_ you on dealing with Aglais’ senti-akuma army _so_ well.” He began to sarcastically clap. “I _must_ hand it to you, that _couldn’t_ have been easy.”

Cat Noir growled. “Save your fake sympathy Hawkmoth! That was _some_ stunt you and Mayura pulled back there!” 

Hawkmoth pretended to ponder for a moment, putting a finger to his chin. 

“Yes yes, I suppose it _was_ , wasn’t it?” He laughed. “I do believe a plan as convoluted as that one deserves a bit of a...” he rubbed his fingers together, “... _reward_? Wouldn’t you agree?”

Both heroes glanced over at each other, and then back at him.

“If you think we’re going to give up our miraculouses to you, you’re wrong Hawkmoth!” Cat noir exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Ladybug followed. “Don’t think you’ve beaten us yet! As long as we’re still standing tall there’s nothing you can do to stop us!”

Hawkmoth sighed. “Very well, I didn’t want it to come to this, I _really_ didn’t, but I’m afraid you’ve left me no _CHOICE!”_

Accentuating the last word, he raised up his cane, swinging it at the two heroes, knocking them towards the other side of the roof. The heroes, not about to give up yet, both got back up, legs wobbling.

“You won’t...you wont knock us down that easily, Hawkmoth!” Cat Noir stumbled.

Swinging his cane around, Hawkmoth laughed. “That’s quite alright, young heroes. I can do this all _day._ ”

He lunged at the young duo again, the both of them following suit, as sounds of weapons clashing against each other rang throughout the air. 

Honestly, if it wasn’t for sheer determination, the heroes just _knew_ they would be over with by now.

Hawkmoth was _much_ stronger than them, especially now that they were using up every last bit of strength they had. 

Knowing they couldn’t last against him much longer, Ladybug, swinging her yoyo over towards the next building over and latching it onto a pipe that stood atop the roof, made her escape, Cat Noir coming along for the ride.

With a growl, Hawkmoth chased after them, hopping from building to building as the heroes swung their way around.

He knew that if he _really_ wanted a chance at beating them, he had to lure them into a trap, somewhere they couldn’t just swing willy-nilly from building to building whenever they wanted, and instead, had no choice but to face him, no matter how much they tried to avoid it!

Sooner or later, he was going to get what was rightfully _his!_

And so, carefully strategizing out his path ahead, he led the heroes from building to building, making sure they ended up where they needed to be. Eventually, they got to the Agreste mansion, all three stumbling inside as the doors flung open.

The mansion was completely vacant of any people, which made sense as about 3 quarters of the people who lived there were off doing…other things. 

As they all continued to fight, Hawkmoth made his way down the escape chute.

“Quick! Uh-” Cat Noir fumbled. “That must be the basement!” Honestly, he didn’t even know they HAD a basement quite frankly, or how he knew to press the buttons on his mother’s painting to get himself down there.

Had his father known about this????

Oh well, he could always ask him later. Once he and his lady finally defeated Hawkmoth and Mayura, he could finally start focusing on more important things, like the slowly repairing relationship between the two of them.

“Wait!” Ladybug shouted, grabbing his arm. 

“We need to detransform, we’re too weak to fight him!” 

Cat Noir shook his head. “You know, normally I would agree with you, bugaboo, but I don’t think _now-_ ” he gestured wildly, “-is kind of the time??!” 

Ladybug sighed. He was right. If they detransformed now, they ran the risk of Hawkmoth, or quite possibly Mayura, who was still nowhere to be found as of this moment, catching them in their civilian forms.

Not only exposing their identities, but making them more vulnerable than ever! 

But if they stayed and fought, there was a 99.9% chance they would _still_ lose!

They were _doomed!_

Taking a deep breath and collecting herself together, she turned back over to her partner.

“You’re right.” She spoke. “We don’t have a choice, we _have_ to keep on fighting, no matter what!” 

She smiled over at him. 

“You ready, Kitty?”

“Always!”

And so, they went off to fight what could be their final battle.

* * *

Once down there, they took a look around.

Underneath the Agreste mansion, was a _garden_.

A beautiful garden in fact, complete with greenery and flowers and dim lanterns, providing just enough light to set off the atmosphere.

Cat Noir looked around in complete awe, taking in all of his surroundings.

He wondered why his father never told him of this place.

His thoughts were cut short however as a heavy set of footsteps sounded behind them.

As he and Ladybug both turned around, they were met with Hawkmoth making his way towards them. They had tried to back away as much as they could, but found there wasn’t really anywhere to escape, as they could only go so far, and even if they tried taking the elevator, Hawkmoth would just corner them once more, repeating the cycle all over again!

“Finally-” Hawkmoth smirked. “It’s right about time you showed up to face your _doom_!” He clenched his fist. “Now, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

He held out his hand.

“Surrender the miraculouses, and no one gets hurt. If you don’t…then I’ll be forced to take them from you.”

“Don’t…” Ladybug stuttered. “Don’t think you can get away with this!”

Hawkmoth laughed, a low, pity chuckle.

“Oh, about that.” He said between laughs. “I already _have.”_

Swinging his cane, he lunged towards the heroes, knocking them both to the ground for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Even still, they persisted, standing their ground and fighting against the older man, but to no avail. 

It wasn’t long before Hawkmoth managed to retrieve Ladybug’s earrings, the poor girl too tired to fight anymore, which made them an easy grab.

Cat Noir had tried to block him off, but he was too slow.

At long last, the ladybug miraculous was _his_.

But as powerful as the ladybug was, it was nothing without its partner in crime, the black cat, the holder of which still stubbornly persisted.  
  
He put the ladybug earrings inside of his cane, trapping it, and it’s kwami, who had retreated into the jewel, inside.

He had to admit, he was quite surprised when Ladybug turned out to be Miss. Dupain-Cheng, as he never really figured her as the “fighting type”.

Then again, neither was he, and in the few times he met her, he’s been made well aware of the good head she had on her shoulders, _just_ the kind a superhero needed.

It sure _was_ a shame it eventually led to her demise.

“Ugh…” She groaned, using her fists and elbows to support up her weight. “Cat Noir-” she called out. “You need to get out of here!”

If there was _anything_ that made Marinette feel like more of a failure than every other mistake she’s made before, it was this.

She had completely let Paris down. Her friends and the rest of its citizens were akumatized, the city was destroyed, and worst of all, Hawkmoth had her miraculous, and who _knows_ what he was planning on doing with it!

It was all over, she failed.

Her partner, on the other hand, wasn’t about to give up anytime soon. 

He had always sworn to himself that he’d protect his lady with everything he had, and if he had to fight to the very last second...then so be it.

“He hasn’t knocked me down yet, my lady!” He exclaimed between heavy breaths. “As long as I’m still standing, I’m not going let him get through to either of us!”

Hawkmoth growled, knocking the boy to his feet once again.

Using his staff for support, he struggled to get up once more, but only fell back down onto his knees.

“Just give up, without your partner and your energy, you can’t fight me much longer!” The man looked above him.

It was getting pitiful, really.

“N-never.” Cat Noir stuttered. “I don’t care how long it takes, how many times you knock me down.” He rambled on.

“I **won’t** let you win!”

He stood up once again, taking a swing at the villain, who dodged his attack easily.

“Hm.” He laughed. “Quite the persistent one, are we?” 

He tapped on his cane.

“But I think you seem to forget, I’m _much_ stronger than you heroes. I can do this all day if I need to.”

He pointed his cane at the quivering boy, who was on the floor once again. 

“I’d _love_ to see you last that long.”

And so, dropping down onto his knees as well to reach the boy’s level, he went for the ring, evil gleam in his eyes as he did so.

And no matter how much Cat Noir wanted to fight back, he just couldn’t.

It was over.

“I’m sorry, my lady…” he trailed off, ring nearly off of his finger.

If this was finally it, he just wanted to ask _one_ question.

“Wait!” He called out weakly, holding a hand out to the masked man above him, who pulled back in confusion.

“What??” He shook his head. “No, no more waiting!”

He reached over for the miraculous once again.

“Please!” Cat Noir begged. “You’ve already practically won anyways, I only want to ask you one question.”

Hawkmoth paused.

“If this is a trick-”

“It’s not.”

He thought about it for a moment, before closing his eyes and sighing. “Very well then.” He gave in.

After all, it would take at least a day's rest for either hero to gain their full strength back again, so he didn’t see the harm in it.

“I want to know-” Cat Noir began. “Why are you doing all of this? What could possibly be _so_ important that you’ve been willing to put the lives of innocent people in danger every day in order to achieve it?? I mean, have you _any_ sympathy?? Don’t _you_ have any loved ones, or anything of the sort that causes you to regret what you’re doing to others’?”

Hawkmoth stared at the boy in shock for a moment, before bursting out into laughter.

An amused, yet pitiful laughter, almost as if he was about to break down into tears. 

“Foolish child.” He spoke. “Everything I have done to this town and it’s people, it’s all been _FOR_ my family.”

His face fell as he stared down at his brooch for a second, memories of his dear wife flooding his thoughts.

“If you must know, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you.” He sighed. “I lost my wife to one of the miraculouses. With the wish the ladybug and black cat miraculouses would allow me to make, I could finally bring her back!

Back to _me_ . Back to my _son_.” He stared at the ground, trailing off.

“Back to _us_.”

Marinette and Cat Noir both looked surprised.

“That’s it??” Cat asked. “No...becoming the supreme ruler of the galaxy?? Nothing of the sort??”

Hawkmoth scoffed. “I’m not _that_ evil.” 

He paused.

“No. I only want my family back.” He pointed at the two heroes. “And _you’re_ going to help me do that, whether you like it or not!” He finished, reaching for the ring again.

“Even if what you say is true-!” Marinette interrupted. “Any type of wish would have serious consequences!” She preached. “Everything has a cost, even things with good intentions! If you were to wish your wife back to full health, someone else would have their life taken from them! And it _certainly_ doesn’t excuse all the innocent lives you put in danger!!”

Hawkmoth stood up.

“Sometimes love requires _sacrifice_!” He retorted. “With no chaos, there’s no order. I was only doing what I had to!”

Cat Noir, still on the ground, now spoke up.

“No, you just put all of us in danger!” He stopped for a second. “Look, I know how you feel! I went through the same thing when my mother disappeared!” He explained. ”But what you’re doing now isn’t the answer! I mean, you said you had other loved ones, right?! Like your son! Why not start a new story, with him? _What would he think of what you’re doing?”_

Hawkmoth shut his eyes tightly, clutching his head in his hands, refusing to listen.

Adrien missed Emilie just as much he did, of _course_ he would understand! 

_Wouldn’t he??_

“No!” He shook his head. “ _No!_ How _DARE_ you assume what’s best for my son!”

“We’re not assuming anything!” Marinette called out. “All we’re saying is that it’s not too late to start over! To move on!”

She held out a hand.

“Give us back the ladybug miraculous, and _join_ us! Start over, make new memories!

_  
You don’t need to continue down the path you’re on!!”_

With a frustrated yell, Hawkmoth swung his cane with full force, causing the glass that surrounding the garden’s elevator to completely shatter. Sinking to his knees, he tightly clutched onto the staff, leaning his head against it as he fought back the tears that threatened to spill out.

_How pathetic. Crying in front of your enemies._

Seeing that the man was distracted, Marinette and Cat Noir both glanced over at each other, nodding to each other as to make sure they were on the same page. 

While he had his back turned, Cat Noir, slowly and carefully, reached over for Hawkmoth’s weapon, the very thing that contained the ladybug miraculous.

Unfortunately for him, however, it didn’t take very long for Hawkmoth to catch on to what he was doing, and in one swift motion, dodged the young hero’s attack.

“I should’ve known!” He growled, standing up. “You heroes only ever care about those that are _worthy_ to you!”

“Cat Noir!” Ladybug shouted, pointing at the boy’s weapon. “ _Now!!_ ” 

Just as Hawkmoth attempted to take the boy’s ring off again, Cat Noir, using what little strength he had left, swung his staff around, effectively hitting the villain in the legs and causing him to lose his balance, collapsing onto the ground. Marinette, though still very weak herself, had mustered up enough strength to support her partner as they both made a, very hobblely might I add, run for it.

“Quick!” She pointed. “The elevator!” 

Cat Noir shook his head. “Even if we do escape, he’ll just follow us! We’re in no position to keep fighting!”

“You know, you should _really_ listen to your partner more often.”

Marinette and Cat Noir both turned around, coming face to face with the man approaching them, eyes widening as they backed up in fear.

“You may have temporarily distracted me with that little speech of yours, and I _do_ have to hand it to you, it _was_ quite clever.” He smirked. “But you’re still too weak to fight me, and just in case you’ve already forgotten, **_I_** still possess the ladybug miraculous!”

“You, have _FAILED_!”

Not able to back up any more than they already have, Cat Noir felt himself bump into something, turning around just to see what exactly it was.

  
And what he saw, _filled him with a RAGE unlike any other he’s felt before._

There, lying inside of what looked to be a glass coffin, was his missing mother, still clearly alive, but in a deep sleep.

“What….” he began, breathing heavily in between. “Did you **_DO TO HER_ **?!”

In a sudden fiery fit of strength, the young boy lunged at the villain, clawing and screaming at him with nothing but pure anger.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MOTHER?! WHY DO YOU HAVE HER??? DO YOU HAVE _ANY_ IDEA WHAT YOU'VE PUT MY FATHER THROUGH! _ANSWER ME_!!!” He screamed between scratches.

Hawkmoth stared at the boy with incredulous, wide eyes, almost as if Cat noir had just accused him of doing the most horrible, _evil_ thing anyone could ever do.

_“WHAT?!”_ He bellowed out. “Emilie is _MY_ wife! I wouldn’t do _ANYTHING_ to hurt her, and I’m sure _SHE’S_ never cheated on me with another man!” 

He paused for a second, the realization filling him with dread.

_No, no it couldn’t be-_!

Slowly, he turned towards the young hero, locking eyes with him, and in barely audible whisper, uttered out the name-

“ _Adrien??”_

Cat Noir, though extremely confused at first, soon realized why the man had said his name.

And he _prayed_ that it wasn’t true.

“Father?!” 

Both Agreste men stared at each other in horror, neither of them wanting to believe the horrible truth that was just revealed to them, with Marinette caught in the middle of it, not knowing _what_ to say!

A flurry of emotions whizzed around in Hawkmoth’s head.

Sadness, anger, confusion, etc.

First and foremost however, he felt guilt. 

Guilt from knowing this entire time, he’s been fighting against his own _son_ , the very person he _swore_ to protect. 

And he turned out to be his _greatest enemy_. 

The more demonic side of his brain however, the side that longed so desperately to get Emilie back, and would stop at nothing in order to do that, was almost...joyous?

Now, there wouldn’t BE anymore fighting or pain, for he and his son could team up _TOGETHER,_ and finally bring the woman in both of their lives back!

And, unfortunately for the both of them, that side won over. 

  
“Yes!” He began, gleeful, yet maniacal, look in his eyes. “This is _PERFECT_!”

Cat Noir looked up at him in horror.

“ _What_?!” He asked, the hurt clearly evident in his voice.

Hawkmoth only grinned.

“Don’t you see, my son?!” He clenched his fists. “Now there doesn’t have to be any more fighting! Together, you and I can team up and awaken your mother!”

Cat Noir took a few steps back, shaking his head in horror and disbelief.

“Wh- _NO_!” He cried out. “Do you even hear yourself?!”

“Don’t you want your mother back, Adrien?!”

“Of _course_ I do!! But not like-” he gestured wildly, “ _THIS_ ! This is _INSANE_!!”

Hawkmoth gritted his teeth, hurt that his own son refused to help him.

“How dare you!” He accused. “Everything I’ve done has been for _us!_ ”

Cat’s eyes grew dark.

“No…” he grimaced. “It’s only been for your _SELF_!” 

With all his might, he swung his weapon towards his father, who effectively managed to dodge out of the way, turning to the boy with a face that was a mixture of hurt and anger.

“Attacking our own father now, are we?!” 

He blocked the second attack.

“Let’s see how you would like it done to _YOU_!”

  
And so, he began to fight back, both Agrestes swinging their weapons at each other, the sound of metal on metal ringing throughout the air, drowning out the sounds of Marinette begging for them to stop.

As they did so, however, she begun to notice something.

Despite the anger and hurt both of them felt, both males seemed to be going sort of...easy on each other. Almost as if they were _purposefully_ trying not to hurt one another.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late after all.

“Cat Noir!!” She shouted, making her way into the middle of the fight. Bad idea. “Stop this!!”

She desperately tried to pull her partner back, but he swung at her, careful enough to not hurt her, but strong enough to push her back.

“Stay _out_ of this, my lady!” He growled, turning back towards Hawkmoth. “This is for your own good!”

He then turned back towards his father, or at least, the man who “claimed” to be his father, he truly didn’t know anymore, but before the fight could continue-

“ _STOP!”_ Another voice shouted, and if you though it wasn’t possible for Cat Noir to get _any_ angrier-

You’d be wrong. 

“Mayura!” He and his father both shouted, albeit in very different tones, one with surprise and relief, the other with pure _hatred_. 

Hawkmoth made his way over to Mayura, who has been M.I.A throughout this fight due to keeping an eye on the senti-akumas, but when she realized that Hawkmoth _still_ wasn’t back, she went to go check on him.

“Mayura-” Hawkmoth began cautiously, approaching the woman. “How much did you see?” 

She sighed.

  
“All of it.” 

  
She then turned over to Cat Noir. “Adrien-” she began carefully. 

The young boy held up his weapon, tears of anger forming in his eyes for what felt like the fifth time. 

It didn’t take him very long to figure out who she was.

“ _Nathalie_!” He spat with venom. “How _could_ you?!”

Mayura made her way over to the hero, who only backed away.

“Please Adrien, I don’t want to fight, just listen.”

  
He held up his weapon a bit higher.

  
“As if I would ever listen to you!!” He growled, but she persisted. 

“Adrien, please-!” She begged, taking a breath and pausing for a second. “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but your father and I both care for you _very_ much!”

Hawkmoth looked guilty.

“Everything we’ve done, everything we care about-” she continued on. “It’s all been for this family!” 

She started to cautiously make his way over to him again, the heartbroken kid backing up even more, weapon shaky in his hand.

“St-stay back!” He threatened. “I’m warning you!!” 

She held a hand to her heart, continuing forward. 

“I know we’ve hurt a lot of people in the process, but trust me, once we make this wish, all that suffering will come to an end! Paris will be safe, and you’ll both finally have a family again!” 

  
She stopped in front of him, holding out her hand.

“Give us the miraculous, Adrien.” She pleaded.

“Everything will be over soon.” 

He took a quick glance at everyone in the room, three different types of expressions locking onto his, and then back down to his ring, the black and green jewel that he had become so accustomed to almost now becoming like a curse he just wanted to be rid of, and, without even thinking about what he was doing, he began to slide it off of his finger, ignoring Hawkmoth’s gasp, ignoring Marinette’s screams of protest, ignoring Mayura’s patient expression.

He just wanted everything to be _over_.

Suddenly, he paused, staring down at the ring that was halfway off of his finger more intently, losing focus as the world around him became blurry?

  
Was he _really_ about to do this?

“Adrien.” Mayura began again, voice stern, yet still patient. “The ring.” She stretched her hand out more for further emphasis. 

He stared up at her, broken green eyes meeting sincere pink ones, and then down at the ring again, finally making his decision.

As if a switch went off, his expression suddenly grew _furious_ , eyebrows furrowed and teeth bared.

He shoved the ring back onto his finger, and that’s when it happened. 

“ _CATACLYSM_!!”

And for a moment, it was as if there was a split second where it just felt like everything had just...stopped.

Cat’s world went completely numb, the rage he felt and the commotion of everything going on causing everything to drown out. 

Everything moved in slow motion, and the clouded thoughts in his head completely drowned out the noise around him, any sound becoming muffled and blurry.

It was as his hearing finally came through, and the horrifying scream of a woman who had just been struck in the chest by a cataclysm rang throughout the air, that Cat Noir had realized what he had done.

“ _AHHHH_!” Mayura cried out in pain, clutching her chest and falling to the ground.

Hawkmoth, screaming her name, rushed over to her as fast as he could, quickly taking her in his arms.

Cat Noir shook his head in horror, eyes wide with dread as he backed away slowly.

_What had he just done?!_

“I-I’m sorry!!” He stuttered. “I didn’t mean to, I was just so scared and angry and-”

His father then stared up at him, with the most hurt and angry expression Adrien has ever seen him with.

“How _DARE_ you hurt her!” He cried out, as he held the badly injured, but luckily still alive and breathing, Mayura closer.

Any ounce of regret Cat had once felt was filled back up again with rage and anger, eyes becoming dark and blurry with more tears.

“ _Her_?!” He shouted, voice cracking. “What about _ME_?!” 

He gestured to himself.

“Don't _I_ matter?! It’s as if you two don’t even CARE!”

Hawkmoth looked offended. “Of _course_ we do Adrien!! How could you say such a thing!?”

Cat Noir shut his eyes tightly and shook his eyes, hands coming up to the side of his head. 

“ _No_!” He cried out. “You _don’t_ care! If you did, none of this would’ve happened in the first place!”

He gripped at his hair, letting out a shout of frustration.

“URGHHH, I mean-” he started. “How could you POSSIBLY think I would want this?! You hurt innocent people, you hurt my friends! You hurt _me_!! And to think I thought you were finally starting to change!”

“Adrien, please!” Mayura begged. “Just listen!”

“ _NO_!” He pointed at her. “I'm through listening! To BOTH of you!!”

  
His eyes fell back on the ring he was wearing. 

  
“You know what…” he began, before yanking the ring off of his finger, transformation dropping. “ _Take_ your stupid miraculous! You two have already done enough!” 

  
He gripped at his skull once again, fingers tightly digging into his temples.

  
“ _ArrGHH!_ I _HATE_ YOU!” He cried out, making a run towards the elevator.

  
“ADRIEN!” His father called out frantically, reaching towards his son, followed by a desperate “ADRIEN, _PLEASE_!” from a weakened Mayura, who also attempted to reach out, but collapsed back down upon doing so.

But he didn’t look back. 

“ADRIEN, WAIT!” Another cry, from Marinette, dang out, the young girl chasing her partner up the elevator. 

Hawkmoth stared up at the elevator in horror as it went up, and continued to do so even after it was out of sight. 

Once he snapped out of his thoughts, slowly, his eyes drifted back down towards the ring in his hand, as the reality of the situation had _finally_ hit him like a ton of bricks. 

_  
What had he done?!_


End file.
